Los Angeles Times (California – Opinion)
By Scott Martelle
September 22, 2014
It
took a while, but the federal government late last week finally signed
off on the California Department of Motor Vehicles' design for driver's
licenses for people in
the country illegally.
The inevitable reaction to such accommodations is to say, deport them all. But that's not going to happen.
The
cards, which will be issued beginning Jan. 1, will have the phrase
"federal limits apply" on the front. The Department of Homeland Security
rejected the initial design,
which would have placed a small mark on the front and add to the back
the sentence: "This card is not acceptable for official federal
purposes." So the new version will be less subtle than backers had hoped
(Ted Rall explores that here, and in the cartoon
above).
It's
a reasonable compromise. The editorial board last year endorsed the
state's move under AB60 to issue licenses to immigrants in the country
illegally who learn the
rules of the road and pass a driver's test, among other requirements.
The September editorial said:
"That
would bring California in line with at least nine other states that
have adopted similar measures. Since 1993, most immigrants living here
illegally have been barred
from obtaining California licenses (except for some young people who
qualify for temporary federal work permits).
"Already,
critics of AB 60 are arguing that providing driver's licenses to people
who are in the United States illegally rewards them for breaking the
law. But that's
putting politics before common sense.
"AB
60 doesn't condone illegal immigration. Rather, it recognizes the
argument made by some law enforcement officials, including Los Angeles
Police Chief Charlie Beck,
that we are all safer if those immigrants who are currently driving
without a license are taught to operate a car safely and are tested to
ensure that they meet the same standards as other drivers. Licenses will
also deter hit-and-run accidents by taking away
one of the chief incentives to flee the scene."
It's
a smart move for the state, and for the country. Since that editorial,
the number of issuing states has increased to 11, plus the District of
Columbia and Puerto
Rico. Ensuring that immigrants in the U.S. illegally know how to drive
safely does not reward them for violating the immigration laws. Rather,
it helps make the roads safer for all of us.
The
inevitable reaction to such an accommodation is to say, deport them
all. But that's not going to happen. Nor should it. DHS estimates there
are at least 11.5 million
immigrants in the country illegally - equal to the population of Ohio -
which the New Republic estimated earlier this year (based on a Center
for American Progress report) would cost $216 billion to deport,
compared with DHS' annual budget of $60 billion.
And
if those here illegally were rounded up and sent home, the effect on
the economy would be around $260 billion a year, the libertarian Cato
Institute estimated based
on the assumption of 8.3 million immigrants living here illegally and
working in the country.
At
some point Congress must find a way to bring these immigrants out of
the shadows while creating disincentives for future such immigration. No
easy task, I know. But
the status quo appeals to no one, and the nation can't deport them all.
We need a common sense approach. While pragmatism is hard to find in
Congress these days, we still should demand it.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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